Dirhams & Dollars

Time stands still for no one and that includes Millennials. As the generation we love to hate (because they love telling us about everything we did wrong) starts to approach middle age, a new generation we can blame for all the world’s evils is busy graduating college and readying itself for the work place. Let’s get ready to welcome Generation Z. But stereotypes aside, just who is Generation Z and what will they be like? We know they’ll be one of the biggest generations ever, even bigger than the Baby Boomers in the US; they’re concerned about the job market; and they’re even more comfortable with social media than Millennials. So we bring in Stephanie Bridget, an intern with one of Gulf News’ sister publications, Friday Magazine, to give us a little insight into this generation’s mindset. Stephanie talks about her generation’s expectations and concerns, some of which may surprise you. Then again, maybe they won’t.

It’s almost scary these days how often major news stories start with a tweet. Last week, we thought we were done talking about Opec after the group reached a deal to pump more oil, but then US President Trump tweeted that Saudi Arabia should double its oil production. We also talk about stock markets, with the Dow Jones Index now down almost 10% from its January high, which is when Trump began tweeting about trade tariffs. Inevitably, we talk about the World Cup, since we all need to find a way to escape this news cycle.

Harley Davidson. Boeing. Red Hen Restaurant. What do they have in common? They all got caught up in political news, angering customers on the right and left because of their actions. Whether it was refusing to serve a White House staff member or relocating jobs away because of taxes, these companies have seen a hit because of decisions they made that were deemed political. So what should companies do? Do they take a stand and make their opinions clear? Or do they play it safe to avoid upsetting any customers? We discuss whether politics and business should mix and just to what extent. And what are the business risks of either scenario? In the Middle East, businesses almost always avoid politics. But is that always wise? Listen to hear more on that.

Looking at the week ahead, we discuss the historic decision in Saudi Arabia to allow women to drive, and the impact it might have on the economy. Bigger than the Aramco IPO, if the Saudi oil minister is to be believed. Should we even bother talking about trade tarrifs anymore? It seems like every week, as the war of words heat up between the US, the EU, and China, fresh threats are made around tarrifs. Most recently, US President Donald Trump is threatening Beijing with tariffs on $200 billion of goods imported from China. On Friday, Trump threatened to impose tariffs on European cars after Brussels introduced levies on American goods such as Levi’s jeans, bourbon whiskey and Harley-Davidson motorbikes. Oh, and we obviously talk about the World Cup. In vivid detail, Sorry hardcore-business-nerds!

The past four months have seen a steady trickle of news that has broken in to a full flood of revelations in recent weeks, concerning Abraaj Group’s funds. The former golden child of the regional private equity scene just filed for provisional liquidation in the Cayman Islands, leaving creditors and investors scrambling to retrieve their money, including publicly traded companies such as Air Arabia. On today’s podcast, we try to decipher how Abraaj reached this point, and we talk about where things go from here. Will these firms get their money back? And what will be done to prevent this kind of thing happening again?

While most of the world is watching the World Cup this week, China and the US will be keeping the financial world on its toes. Fears of a global trade war reached new heights as the US announced $50 billion in tariffs on Chinese imports and China retaliated with $50 billion of its own on US goods. It’s sure to be a tense week, with Europe also indicating a strong stance against US protectionism. If that wasn’t enough, OPEC will be meeting to discuss the state of the oil market. Listen to find out more about that.

Ole ole ole! It’s the World Cup, back again after four long years. With 32 teams set to battle it out for the coveted Jules Rimet Fifa World Cup trophy in Russia this year, what kind of money is at stake? And more importantly, who will win? We are joined by Ashley Hammond, a senior sports reporter, and Matt Smith, the deputy sports editor, to chat everything football, including the four Arab teams participating. But being Dirhams & Dollars, we are of course equally interested in the dollars and the dives, the pesos and the penalties, the francs and the free kicks, the rials and the red cards, the drachmas and the dramas, the euros and the Yuri’s (okay we know that one’s a stretch). Tune in to hear where the money's coming from, how it's being used, & who we think might take home the trophy.

Dubai: It’s amazing how a tweet can wreck your week, especially when that tweet comes from Donald Trump. Early Sunday morning, the G7 was preparing to sign their annual joint statement on the economy, when Trump began tweeting about Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, calling him weak and dishonest. As you can imagine when world leaders start calling each other names, the situation has turned ugly. Trump hasn’t tweeted since, but apparently satisfied that he raised enough hackles in the Western hemisphere, he flew off to Singapore to meet with North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un on nuclear disarmament. Those last two paragraphs sound like the start of a global disaster movie. Just so you know that this week isn’t just about Trump, we also have the UK voting to approve the Brexit agreements made with the EU so far. If that fails, expect a fresh challenge to British Prime Minister Theresa May’s tenure by week’s end. Still looking for good news? There’s always the World Cup, which starts on Thursday. Some European countries

In Dirhams & Dollars' most international episode to date, the dollar element of the title is well represented: Both Australian dollars and US dollars appear on today's show, as Scott reports live from San Jose in California, and Sarah comes to you live from Sydney, Australia. First to Scott, who is at Apple's World Wide Developer's Conference (WWDC), their annual software and apps event. He talks us through some of the defining issues of this year's event, and some of the hottest software previewed at the event. Then later in the episode we talk to Sarah in Sydney, where the International Air Transport Association (IATA)annual meeting is taking place. Sarah recounts her conversation on the sidelines with Emirates president Tim Clark about the potential for a new premium economy section, the current lack of demand, and whether there is anything truth to reports of pilot and crew shortages. Sarah also lets us in on some of the more misogynistic elements of the conference, including the remarks of a certain

With two thirds of the Dirhams & Dollars team on foreign assignments, Ed is joined by Shweta, the deputy business editor, to look ahead at this week's key events. First to Sydney, where the International Air Transport Association (IATA)annual meeting is taking place. Shweta explains what to watch out for, and some of the key trends impacting the aviation industry at the moment, including trade tariffs and high oil prices. Then to San Jose, where Apple is hosting its World Wide Developer's Conference (WWDC), their annual software and apps event. The team briefly look at some of the issues set to define this year's event, and some of the hottest topics driving software development at the moment. Lastly, we preview Trump's meeting with Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, and the G7 meeting taking place this week. Or should that be G6+1?

Who plays video games in the UAE? The answer according to a new report is “almost everyone.” Young or old, male or female, it doesn’t matter. We like our video games here, which makes us the top market in the Middle East for a global industry that will reach over $115 billion in 2018. So we sit down this episode to talk about the market, which games we play, and why this industry is seeing the kind of growth the other industries can’t even dream of.

Football, oil, and why you're still getting emails about privacy by Gulf News

If you haven’t heard about GDPR, you might want to hold on. Those four letters are about to upset every industry that uses data in, near or around Europe. The GDPR, which stands for the General Data Protection Regulation, is a European Union regulation that gives people a say over how their data is used and heavily penalizes companies that fail to comply. And we mean HEAVILY. Failure to comply can cost a company up to €20 million, or 4% of their worldwide annual revenue, whichever is higher. We bring Eamon Holley, a lawyer for DLA Piper who specializes in legal compliance, to help explain what this complex regulation means for data driver businesses everywhere.

Has a thawing of relations just taken the tension down by a couple of notches between the US and China? Well, according to the US Treasury Secretary, the trade war between the two is “on hold,” after they agreed to drop their tariff threats, leading the way towards a wider trade agreement. We discuss how this could have happened after a bitter war of words between the pair, and what might lie ahead for the US and China. And so as one trade war quietens down, does the other begin to liven up? The US looks equally as set for a trade war with its European allies as it did with China, so we discuss the potential for this, and who might benefit. We also preview our Wednesday show, which will centre around the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), set to come in to force this Friday. Lastly, we discuss the US Federal Reserve, and when to expect the next interest rate hike.

With US President Donald Trump announcing his country will be withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, the team dissects implications on businesses in Iran. Companies are already in limbo, with the key industries under the spotlight being aviation and oil. Boeing and Airbus both have deals worth billions of dollars with Iranian airlines, and neither one really knows what will happen to those deals. But besides the direct effect, there’s another bigger story; is the US about to impose sanctions on its European allies for doing business in Iran? Possibly. And what does that mean for ties between the Europe and America? We discuss the shift in dynamics. Finally, oil. With oil prices seeing some gains after the announcement, it seems oil is one of few that benefit from the US’s withdrawal. The business team discusses whether oil is finally seeing that respite.

Sanctions on Iran, oil prices, & huge investments by Adnoc by Gulf News

Think print journalism is dead? Think magazines have gone the way of the typewriter? Our guest on this episode will tell you that’s not quite the case. Susan Goldberg is a journalist who has spent years leading major newsrooms across the US and is now finding new ways of engaging readers with one of the world’s oldest publications: National Geographic. The podcast team sits down with Goldberg to discuss the future of media, whether clickbait is really the way to go, and we attempt to answer the question of whether everything will end up behind a paywall. We also talk to her about what drives her and what she thinks about where the industry and craft of journalism is heading.

Emirates results, Airport Show, & earnings season in spotlight by Gulf News

Where does the future of the office lie? Is it in cool co-working spaces? Is it in coffee shops? Is it in your bedroom? Or is it in virtual meeting rooms? With young people pushing back against the traditional desk job, speaking up about the benefits in productivity they might gain from working in a new location, the need for dynamic, imaginative work spaces is greater than ever. But not everyone agrees. Some people (Scott) have a different perspective. As a manager of people, Scott thinks about the many issues that present themselves when your entire staff is scattered around a city. How easy is it to contact them? Are they on the move? Are they working? Can you trust them? Luckily, we are joined on today’s podcast by an expert in all things office: Shaz Bhatti, a serial entrepreneur based in Dubai, who launched a co-working space project six years ago. Since then, he has seen traditional office spaces change dramatically, and the level of interest in new workplaces skyrocket. But what does he think about

It’s a busy week for business. Our week kicked off with a Hyperloop announcement featuing Richard Branson and DP World and will close out with the Future Blockchain Summit, which promises to have truly innovative applications of this new technology. Sandwiched in between these two events, we’ll be watching to see how global equity markets balance a bond markets offering 3 per cent yields on one side and some of the best company earnings in years on the other. Results week is also in full swing here in the UAE. Bank results have been making headlines, which usually means that property companies will be next to announce how they did in the first quarter. Ed, Sarah and Scott run down what to expect for the week ahead and discuss the stories making headlines.